Interactive media, such as the Internet, can provide powerful advertising tools. Indeed, advertisers can use the Internet to access various audiences interested in available products and services.
Some forms of interactive media advertising involve delivering advertisements (“ads”) to users based on various criteria. For example, ads can be presented in a web site based on the content of the web site. The ads may drive online consumers to web sites associated with providers of products and/or services.
Interactive media advertising systems can utilize various pricing policies for ads. In some systems, an advertiser can select a particular pricing policy for use with an ad or ad campaign. As an example, advertisers can be charged for ads on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. With this policy, advertisers can bid for ads by entering a CPC bid. As another example, advertisers can be charged for ads on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis. In this case, advertisers can bid on a CPM. Publishers can receive revenue for allowing advertisements to be displayed with their content (e.g., on a particular web page). This publisher revenue can vary based on the terms of the pricing policy used for advertisements. Publishers, however, may wish to have some assurance that they will receive a certain revenue stream.